Two INTERNATIONAL POETRY FORUM performances with (above) actor Michael York and (below) actor Gregory Peck and recorder player Jean Thomas.



Barbara Yahr conducting Manuel Ponce's Guitar Concerto with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra


(above) Sweet and Low Jazz Trio
(below) mezzo-soprano Daphne Alderson

 


In addition to his concerts with the Ferla-Marcinizyn Guitar Duo, James Ferla, a two-time Pittsburgh Concert Society Winner, has also performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, the Renaissance City Winds, The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, DEAR FRIENDS Ensemble, Cynthia Koleda DeAlmeida, principal oboe of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and tenor Doug Ahlstedt. He has published several articles on guitar repertoire in SoundBoard, the journal of the Guitar Foundation of America, and is on the advisory board of GSFA, the Guitar Society of Fine Arts in Pittsburgh. With singer/actress Kate Young, James recorded Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "Platero y Yo" for Voice of America and is heard on the soundtrack of the PBS American Experience film, "Stephen Foster." He teaches guitar at Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. His principal teachers were Richard Franklin, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and Colin Sterne.

James has an MFA in performance from Carnegie Mellon University and an MA in Musicology from the University of Pittsburgh.



Guitarist/composer/ banjoist John Marcinizyn holds a Ph.D. in composition and theory from the University of Pittsburgh. His compositions include a guitar concerto, string quartet, orchestral music and pieces for solo guitar and guitar with mixed ensemble which have received numerous performances. His Sonata for Guitar and Marimba received critical acclaim following its premiere at the Guitar Foundation of America International Festival and Competition held in Buffalo. John also performs frequently as a soloist, with Sweet and Low Jazz Trio, mezzo-soprano Daphne Alderson, and with groups ranging from the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh to the Pittsburgh Playhouse Professional Company Ensemble. John teaches guitar at Carnegie Mellon University, guitar and composition at Seton Hill University, and teaches the music portion of the class "The Arts and Human Experience" through the art history department at Duquesne University. He is also on the advisory board of GSFA, the Guitar Society of Fine Arts.